TODAY we did the soft launch of our new INQUIRER.net VDO page.

Contrary to what some people might think, our VDO service has always meant more than just, well, videos. It just so happened that online video was the most obvious “new thing” for INQUIRER.net, foreign territory for a company which has its roots in a print newspaper. What’s great and at times amusing, however, is that in a relatively short span of time, video has become one of the staples of INQUIRER.net. More and more people are coming to expect that video will be part of our coverage, and it’s even come to the point where some PR people would ask me, “When will the video interview come out?” in the same manner that they would once ask, “When is the story coming out?” or “Will you be able to use my press release?” In fact, I’ve even heard anecdotes of some people in print being asked when covering events if they’re also going to take videos.

Online video was once a novelty. Now, it’s becoming a necessity, if you want to gain a competitive advantage.

Of course, we’re just starting out and we know there’s a lot of room for improvement — and we’re addressing that. Moreover, video is a very important, but by no means the only component of our multimedia thrust. VDO is our hub for all our multimedia initiatives, including online video, blogs and podcasts — and yes, whatever new services we will launch in the months to come. I’m pretty excited over all the things that we’ll be rolling out this year, but for now I have to keep my mouth shut.

Anyway, let me leave you with this Technobabble video podcast, where Cisco Philippines country manager Luichi Robles and Cisco Systems (USA) Pte Ltd director for Asia Channel and Commercial Business Christian Hentschel give us a tour of the Cisco Network on Wheels mobile showcase, a container van featuring the latest Cisco solutions. Joseph Lee, Cisco Systems (USA) Pte Ltd director for Advanced Technologies in Asia, also demonstrates some of the solutions for the education sector.

Online Videos by Veoh.com

As we’ve been telling people inside and outside the organization time and again, we are no longer an online newspaper but have to transform ourselves into a multimedia news site. We have to move beyond just the news, and develop new content that will address different niches. The future won’t happen overnight, but it will come, whether you want it to or not, whether you’re prepared for it or not. So it’s really up to you how you deal with the inevitable.

Some might choose to worry over what tomorrow might bring. I’d rather embrace the future and take part in building something new.

AS promised, here’s the HappySlip video interview

Online Videos by Veoh.com

YUP, the YouTube sensation will now be promoting Philippine tourist destinations as an endorser for the Department of Tourism Team North America. Filipino-American Christine Gambito, better known to thousands of fans of her video blogs as HappySlip, will be in town for a two-week tour of our country’s travel destinations.

HappySlip will be video blogging her Philippine trip, and the vlogs will be posted on both the HappySlip and Experience Philippines sites.

Here’s HappySlip’s video announcement about her Philippine trip.

We’ll get to meet her in a press briefing which will be held this Thursday, where HappySlip and Tourism Secretary Joseph “Ace” Durano will be on hand to answer questions. So stay tuned for more updates on HappySlip’s Philippine odyssey.

THE FUNNY thing about the Blu-ray vs HD DVD war is that, 1. most people would still rather buy a DVD because many of us are perfectly happy with its quality, and that’s probably gonna be true for a few more years, and 2. pretty soon, it will make more sense for a growing number of people to just download high-definition content to their hard drives or stream it rather than buy a disc.

OK, personally I was rooting for HD DVD but it looks like I might have picked the wrong format after Warner Bros. drove a stake into Toshiba’s heart and decided to go exclusively Blu-ray. Toshiba has responded (well, after first canceling their Consumer Electronics Show press conference) by slashing the prices of its HD DVD players. By the way, as my fellow tech journalists and I have discussed time and again, another major factor that would determine the outcome of this latest format war would be: which one will the porn industry support? And according to this article, the adult film industry is still backing HD DVD. (But shouldn’t a blue movie be on Blu-ray? Heh, just kidding.)

Anyway, now that Apple also wants to corner the movie rental business with iTunes, expect movie downloads to become even more mainstream. (Now, if only Apple could make the iTunes store available in the Philippines and the rest of Asia…)

Check out this Reuters video report on Apple’s movie rental service.

I’m a big believer in watching video online (obviously, since I handle our online video service) and an avid fan of services like Joost. Just imagine how far we’ve come — a few years ago, broadcast-quality online video was a pipe dream.

Oh, and speaking of Apple, for the record, I’m drooling over the MacBook Air, the world’s thinnest notebook. Yes, I love Mikaela my (well, until the office changes its mind, heh) MacBook Pro, but damn, just look at the MacBook Air!

AS INQUIRER.net reporter Lawrence Casiraya points out, call centers could be seen as the 21st century equivalent of industrial factories.

APAC Customer Services, however, has adopted a different, “honeycomb” design for its call center facility. In this video that Lawrence took, APAC country manager Jim Griffin explains why they chose this kind of layout.

Online Videos by Veoh.com

With the growing number of Filipinos who are entering the call center industry, that makes me wonder: what does your call center environment look like? What do you like most about your call center, and what do you hate most about it?